“Well alright then,” he says, taking the keys I hand him. “The town has been buzzing about the two of you, but I think you’re good for her.”
“Does anyone think I’mbadfor her?” I scoff. Judging by Shep’s measured glance, I shake my head. “On second thought, I don’t wanna know.”
Shep smirks as he leaves me for the truck, and I head back inside, my eyes on the man in front of me. He’s Latino, with a tattoo of what must be an angel’s wings peeking out of his very boring cream sweater and he’s wearing a pair of dark wash jeans. The muscles on his arms flex underneath his sweater, and I can see his throat clearly as he swallows nervously. His tan skin is deeper than just hanging out in the sun would make it, and as his dark brown eyes flick up in my direction, I can see that there are golden flecks of yellow reflecting back at me.
I have to admit that he looks like he’s trying too hard to appear normal, which simply makes him stick out more.
The guy is smaller than an alpha normally would be, and I can see that he’s scrolling through his phone, pretending to be patient as his eyes focus on it again. Moving closer, I inhale deeply, faintly smelling the older scent of the alphas he was with at one point. He has no other scent attached to him oddlyenough, and might smell like nothing if he hadn’t been with the other alphas.
Is he a beta?
His outward appearance might suggest a touch of nerves, but his finger is tapping his phone case impatiently as he takes in a breath. Whoever he is, he’s definitely not as chill as he’s pretending to be.
Walking over to a chair across from him, I fold myself into it, legs stretched out in front of me. On the other hand, the new guy has his legs sprawled open, and he puts his phone away, draping his forearms over the sides of the chair as he waits. I’m wearing my uniform, and I can feel him trying not to stare.
“Is it normal for a cop to get his girl’s car fixed when he’s on the job?” he finally asks.
“It is in Widows Peak,” I smirk, seeing my opening. “What brings you to our area? It doesn’t look like you’re local. I know everyone in town.”
“Seriously? That’s how we’re going to play this?” he chuckles.
The guy is definitely not an alpha, yet he stinks of one.
“Yep, that’s exactly how we’re playing it,” I say, waiting for an answer.
We’re both stuck here for now, I don’t have a problem waiting him out.
Chapter Eight
Isidro
Ican do this.
I’m trained to infiltrate and steal information, so talking to this sheriff should be a cakewalk. I don’t have any type of regional accent unless I’m speaking Spanish, and I noticed all types of people from different walks of life walking around town when I dropped off my unit downtown.
I find that it can be more difficult to fit in when everyone knows each other, and both the mechanic and sheriff have clocked me as being new in town. Therefore, I’ll need to lean into the fact that my battery is giving me trouble.
The cooler weather is a damn sight different from Georgia, our last location, and my SUV isn’t very happy about it. My battery dying once just outside of town was a real thing. I managed to jump it myself, deciding that the universe was giving me the perfect cover for today.
“My battery is acting up, and I pulled into the first town that I could. Getting stuck in the mountains with a dead battery would suck,” I explain.
“I see,” the beta in front of me murmurs. I can faintly smell fresh rain coming from his direction, and it’s very soothing. The secretive instincts inside of me want to breathe them in, but I force myself to simply appear mildly interested in what he’s saying. “Everyone is getting ready for the first snow here, so Shep’s kind of busy.”
Leaning forward, he sticks out his hand. “I’m Sheriff Syrus Lynch. You can call me Syrus. As for getting my girl, Silva, snow tires while on the job, I’m on break. Just in case you’re worried about where our town’s taxes are going.”
He has a very strong handshake, firm without trying to crush me. Syrus manages to appear intimidating as he releases my hand while still seeming friendly. It’s very confusing.
His smirk is self-deprecating, and he looks really well put together for a sheriff. His blonde hair is slicked back, and his beard is well taken care of. There’s some white hair blending into it, telling me he’s older than I first thought. He’s wearing long sleeves, but I can just see the hint of a tattoo peeking out along his wrist. It doesn’t escape me that his smile doesn’t reach his eyes, or that he’s a big fucker. Syrus Lynch appears to be well versed in keeping secrets as part of his job.
I’m only five-ten, and he seems to take a lot of space in this small waiting room.
“It’s good to know that you take care of what belongs to you,” I say, testing him. “I’m Isidro.”
Too many people believe that they own their significant other, and I need to know who I’m dealing with. That name also belongs to someone my team and I are interested in speaking to. I’ll take as much information on her as I can get.
Harlan and Aiden have a special interest in her and her twin sister Lexi. I can’t fuck this up.
“Silva belongs to no one but herself,” he says easily. “She’ll be the first to tell you that too. So, who are you here with? You’re a beta, but you stink of alpha. Why is that?”
